Postmodern Architecture: Features And Examples

Postmodern architecture emerged in the 1960s and 70s as a response to modernism. It’s a unique and playful home design style that is still popular among home buyers today. Because the look and layout of a home can be heavily influenced by eras of history, knowing the key characteristics of particular styles can help you find a home that fits your taste.

If you’re looking to buy a house with a bold, playful or unique aesthetic, you should consider postmodern houses in your search for a new home.

What Is Postmodern Architecture?

Postmodern architecture is a design style that embraces experimentation. The designs are eclectic, colorful and feature many elements that are purely decorative, with no structural design purpose. These buildings are often whimsical and eye-catching, making them a popular type of home.

A few other defining characteristics of postmodern architecture are:

• Combining elements from other historical eras
• Unique uses of materials
• Asymmetrical elements
• Abstraction
• Sculptural features

Modern Vs. Postmodern Architecture

In order to fully understand postmodern architecture, it’s important to gain a clearer sense of how postmodernist design differs from modern architecture and why the discussion of these two design styles can sometimes be so polarizing.

Modern architecture first became popular in the 1920s and 30s in response to the revivalist trends that had previously been holding command over the architectural world for decades. This design style values simplicity and functionality, placing emphasis on boxy and rectangular shapes, clean lines, the use of industrial materials like steel, iron, glass and concrete and a minimalistic approach to ornamentation.

Postmodernist architects felt that modernism – especially midcentury modernism – was dull, unimaginative and lacked any elements of cultural expression. Modernists and supporters of more conservative architectural styles, on the other hand, believed that architecture was not a field that was meant to place focus on artistry over utility, and that postmodern designs were often ugly and gaudy as a result.

History Of Postmodern Architecture

Postmodern style architecture emerged in the 1960s and 70s and rose to greater prominence in the 80s and 90s as a reaction to modernist trends that had grown popular in the U.S. and Europe. The postmodern movement can primarily be characterized by its rejection of convention and uniformity as well as its insistence on the need for richness, beauty and a little bit of fun in architecture.

In 1966, architect and theorist Robert Venturi published a book titled “Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture,” which laid out some of the key tenets of the postmodern movement and became a highly influential text for future architects interested in postmodernism.

The book encourages the use of hybrid elements and the celebration of pop culture in architectural design. Another one of his works, “Learning from Las Vegas” (1972), delved deeper into postmodernism and explored the use of historical trends in more current designs as they appeared on the Las Vegas Strip.

Famous Postmodern Architects

There are several main architects that spearheaded the postmodern architecture movement. These include:

Robin Venturi

Robin Venturi is considered the father of the postmodern movement. His design of The Vanna Venturi House is marked as the first postmodern home built.

Frank Gehry

Gehry has designed a variety of homes and buildings that are considered major attractions to this day. Many of the buildings appear to twist or flow with unique, curved lines. His designs include El Peix in Barcelona, the Dancing House in Prague, the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Michael Graves

Graves began his architecture career as a modernist but then switched to postmodernism. He particularly loved the cubist style elements and using bold color. His famous works include the Dolphin and Swan resorts at Walt Disney World, the Humana building in Kentucky and the Denver Public Library.

Charles Moore

Moore loved designing buildings with bold colors, eclectic lines and unusual material combinations. His notable work includes the Sea Ranch in Sonoma, The Mutual Savings Bank Building in San Francisco and the Piazza d'Italia in New Orleans.

Philip Johnson

Postmodern Architecture Characteristics

The uniqueness of postmodern architecture might make it seem difficult for it to be summarized concisely, but there are a few prominent features a building needs to have for it to be considered postmodern. These features are all reflective of the postmodern movement’s intention of deviating from the architectural norms of the time.

Playfulness

One of the most clearly identifiable features of a postmodern building is the sense of whimsy that it exudes. To combat the rigidity of modernist design, many postmodern architects injected as much personality and creativity as possible into what they built. Distorted lines, unconventional ornamentation and quite a bit of architectural rule-breaking can be found to some degree in most postmodern structures.

Bright Colors

Many postmodern buildings can be spotted due to their bright exterior and interior color schemes. Modernist facades are often gray and lacking in vibrancy, so postmodern designs tend to defy the monotony by including pops of neon or pastel colors to beams, borders, window glass and countless other areas of the structure for added visual interest.

Unique Materials

Postmodern Architecture Examples

There are a few famous postmodern buildings that have had significant influence over the development of this architectural style as a whole. Let’s take a look at five of the most well-known examples.

The Vanna Venturi House

The Vanna Venturi House is a Philadelphia-based property completed in 1964 by Robert Venturi and his wife, Denise Scott Brown. The two architects designed this postmodern structure for Venturi’s mother. The house was one of the very first designed in this postmodern style, and it features a prominent gable, an oversized chimney and an assortment of mismatched windows.

This otherwise simple house was designed with unnecessary elements, such as a large slit in the facade and a huge arch across the front, that served no functional purpose. This sense of whimsy laid the foundation for the very essence of the postmodern movement.

The Portland Building

The Portland Building is a 15-story structure designed by Michael Graves in Portland, Oregon, and was considered the first postmodern tall office building. When it first opened in 1982, it was considered a groundbreaking – and, by some standards, controversial – work of postmodern architecture due to its abstract mixture of classical design elements and intermittent pops of color. It was designed to be in complete contrast with the popular modern glass and steel office buildings.

The facade of this building features bold, color blocked terra cotta tiles, mirrored glass and white stucco. There are also modern takes on classical elements with pilasters, garlands and keystones. The decorative features are oversized and dramatic. This building is central in the city of Portland and is considered a significant contribution to the postmodern movement.

The New State Gallery

The New State Gallery, or Neue Staatsgalerie, is an art facility designed by James Stirling in Stuttgart, Germany. Completed in 1984, the building’s facade features asymmetrical shapes, varied textures and steel frames and handrails painted with eye-catching shades of green, blue and pink.

The Piazza d’Italia

The Piazza d’Italia is a postmodern plaza in New Orleans designed by Charles Moore. Completed in 1978 and then renovated in 2004, the plaza nods to classical Italian architecture and stands out from surrounding buildings with its bright color scheme. In addition to the bright colors, the complex arches and variety of openings on the facade give the building a playful and eccentric look.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Walt Disney Concert Hall is arguably one of the more recognizable postmodern structures in present-day American society. Designed by Frank Gehry and opened in 2003, this asymmetrical Los Angeles building features many warped shapes and curved stainless-steel panels on its exterior. These silver-colored sails have become iconic as a symbol for the building and for postmodernism itself.

Postmodern Style Houses In Today’s Market

While many of the examples shown above of postmodern architecture are large buildings, postmodern architecture can be found in houses as well. You are most likely to find a postmodern home in Europe – particularly in Scandinavia – and in the northeastern United States. These homes were often built by prominent architects, and many are quite large, making them more expensive than the average house.

The Bottom Line

Postmodern architecture is bold and unique. If you are looking for a one-of-a-kind home, something in the postmodern style might be a perfect reflection of your personality. Start your home buying journey with Rocket Mortgage^® today to find a postmodern home that fits your style.